4 days of activity and now I'm back chillin'

Well, that was a bit of a whirlwind trip but I'm home now and back with my babies.

I've been on planes, coaches, underground and overland trains and in cars but I have been very pleased not to have been driving. I have been ferried around by family and friends which I am very grateful for as it made for a very stress free trip.

I keep in touch with family and friends by phone and e-mail but there really isn't any substitute for seeing them in person - and it's been over a year since I saw Liz, yet the minute we met up it was like we'd seen each other only last week. We had loads to talk about as Liz had been on a lifetime visit to New Zealand and Australia earlier this year culminating in a visit to the Sydney Opera House, or maybe that should be THE Sydney Opera House, a life long ambition of hers. Needless to say there was an album of stunning photos to look through, each one telling a story. It was well past midnight before we decided we should call it a day.

Many people who are visiting the UK are taking advantage of all the sales going on at the moment as the rate of the Euro means that shopping in Spain at the moment isn't such a bargain. I had gone with the intention of fitting in a trip to Brantano - I love shoe shopping and generally find lots of choice at Brantano. Plus Neil got a pair of sandals from Brantano before we moved out to Spain last year and has hardly had them off his feet - needless to say they are looking rather worse for wear and I was hoping to get him another pair (or 2!)

So, Wednesday morning we called at Brantano on our way to meet Andrew, (my brother) at Staines for lunch.

I wanted some trainers for dog walking and found some very comfortable Sketchers which were immediately on the 'we'll have those' list. Then Liz found some lovely sandals, which were cream with a strap in snakeskin effect. I tried them on and they felt really comfy - but they looked odd. Liz pointed out that the snakeskin strap on one was very dark compared to the other and that was making them look odd - and then we realised that they were actually different colours. One sandal was ivory cream and the other was peach cream. We looked around for another pair that they may have got mixed up with, but there were no others on display. I put them back on the shelf and continued looking.


I found another pair of sandals I liked and which fitted well and so I was happy. We went off to find Neil's replacements and found 2 different styles - but knowing how much wear he gets from them, I decided to take both pairs.

Armed with 4 pairs of shoes I decided I had enough and went over to pay for them. Whilst I was at the cash desk I thought I would do my good samaritan bit and tell them about the odd sandals so that someone else doesn't buy them without realising they were different colours, as it wasn't too obvious under the shop lights. I showed her where they were and she asked if I would be interested if they had a matching pair in the back.........well, they were nice.......and they were comfy........and they were reduced in price......yes, I would be interested!


So, I left the shop wondering how I was going to fit 5 extra pairs of shoes into my baggage allowance when I had come over using 14 of my 15kg allowance that Ryanair graciously give.

Oh, I'd work something out!

I had shoes, I was shopping with a very dear friend I hadn't seen for over a year, I was happy - baggage allowances were a problem for another day!